Live From Remote Part II

We walked all over beautiful downtown Indianapolis yesterday before finally making it over to the convention center to meet these crazy characters.

After we walked around looking at the new games, the art show, and the booths (for four hours) Ella was falling asleep on my hip and so we found a nice sword booth that sold tablecloths... er fabric with a neat Celtic knot design and I fashioned a sling so she could sleep. She didn't actually sleep because it was just too fun to be carried poking your head out and waving at people but she did get to rest her legs for a about an hour and she was nodding in and out for a bit. We even had a few parents ask us where we bought the sling. She keeps asking if we can bring it today (only two more days of walking all over the city and the convention center left - ug.)

The convention is the same as it's always been lots of socially challenged guys uncomfortably walking around in large crowds. Goths and elves standing around discussing their characters, hot dogs and nachos at every food booth, and a few weary spouses here and there. Last night while reading the program of events, Dan pointed out "The SPA program" (short for SPousal Activities program) these special activities designed for the "gamer widow or widower" include knitting, scrap booking, bead work and even some "active classes" for the athletically inclined. My ears perked up, maybe wall climbing, kickboxing, fencing? No the patriarchy is strong here even in an arena filled with men who are afraid to meet a woman's gaze - they offer belly dancing, Irish dancing and pole dancing for fun and fitness (giant eye roll.) I told Dan I was going over there today to pass out roller derby recruitment flyers pronto.

When we left the convention we unpacked Ella and walked over to the Red Eye Cafe to wolf down the best burger I've ever had in my life (it had garlic and onions shmooshed right into the burger- yum) then we were all charged up again and Ella was ready to swim until her lips turned blue which we did, followed by playing her new game Penguin Rescue and much Olympic swimmer watching.

Live From Remote Part I

Hey folks, I'm blogging from the road this week. I spent about 7 hours in the car with my family yesterday and almost everything worked exactly as expected. Ella colored her new activity books for almost the entire length of the drive. She was absolutely absorbed in staying in the lines and color combinations and coordinating stickers. It truly was the best three dollars ever spent. Dan downloaded a book about the history of Salt (which is slightly more interesting than the history of granola because there are wars involved.) The book is called surprisingly "Salt: A World History" and guess what it's alot of consecutive facts about... salt, not much story. But it turns out that's ok, because I can drift in and out of paying attention, bouncing from getting out the Fritos, to checking the map and sitting blissfully still as the country side goes by. Which brings me to the exception that proved the rule that everything would go as expected.

While trying to avoid Chicago traffic, Dan disobeyed the electronic woman telling us where to turn and then she had to say that she was recalculating after every 100 feet we didn't obey her commands to whip a u-ie (how the hell DO you spell that?! you-ee? Yuwee? WTF?) and eventually we did listen to her and drove these long windy roads between IL and IN that were barely two lanes and sometime we were doing 45mph and I was thinking this is how the horror movie starts, the killers jack into unsuspecting GPS systems and lure families onto a dirt road, and since clearly we are relying on the GPS we won't know how to get away and clearly no one will even be looking for us until we don't get home on the right date to pick up the dog or blog on time and all sorts of havoc is wreaked from there like a typical slasher sorta thing, except I didn't really bring a tiny bathing suit and so I suppose it wouldn't be that typical a slasher movie with my middle aged self in a tankini beating the crap out of the slasher and then later suing him for damages.

But anyway, we made it to the highway without incident and it was sorta fast and so now we know we can totally trust the chick in the gray box attached to the dash board issuing directions. And I also now know that an army without salt couldn't cure meat and like two thirds of the salt in the US during the civil war was on the North side, and I now also know that some people in the East used to cure duck with a mixture of salt and gun powder (yuck.) And lastly, I know it is fun to blog poolside while Ella freezes her butt off in the outdoor hotel pool.

Creepy Observations

We went to the animal fair, the birds and the bees were there, and the big baboon by the light of the moon was totally endangering his children. Twice last night I made my entire family stop in the middle of their county fair festivities to scrutinize a lone child wandering around in the dark. I'm not talking like an 8 year old who just got off a ride I'm talking like a 6 year old holding the hand of her 3 year old brother walking around the fair while I trailed 10 feet behind until they found Dad. Or the 4 year old standing outside the men’s room looking so lost I sent my child up to her to ask “Where’s your Daddy”, to which she pointed into the men’s room and then we stood there until he came out. The first time, I could’ve just chalked it up to silly people but after the second time, my stomach just hurt.

What is with people? Am I too sensitive about it? Am I a helicopter parent? I just can’t imagine letting my 5 year old run around the county fair as she pleased with instructions to meet me at the tilt-a-whirl at 9:00. And if Dan had to use the facilities, I'd rather he bring kiddo in with him than leave her standing alone in a crowd in the dark. Really, if the guy was just too sheepish to do that he could've left his kid with the kindly lady at the information booth NEXT DOOR while he ran in or the sheriff's tent around the corner. Thoughts please? Someone tell me I’m not too overprotective or off my rocker here.

On a less outraged note, this picture of Ella looking tough on a pink Harley is for DD.

Itchy Sinuses

Last year my allergies weren't rearing their nine heads until September and I was hoping to stay blissfully unaware of the pollen count through August but the wheather has cooled and told the flowers and tress to release whatever poison it is that sneaks into my sinuses and eyes and makes them swell. We are far from a frost and so I will spend the remainder of my summer balanced between tearing my face off and counting down the hours until my next pill.

Breaking World Records Last Night

It's funny sometimes to ask Ella questions to see how she'll explain things. The other night when were talking about mosquito spit she asked me what it (the spit) looked like and I told her I didn't know, but perhaps we could find out and then asked her where the best place to find out would be. Totally expecting her to say we could look it up on the computer or ina book she instead recommended we find a mosquito museum. So if you know a good one, please pass that along.

Last night we are watching Olympic swimming and the following conversation took place:

Me: Hey Ella! What happened to those people's heads, they're all shiney and bald?

Ella: Mom, (eye roll) their weaing hats.

Me: Oh, I see, why are they wearing hats?

Ella: So they don't disturb their hair when they swim.

Dan who obviously couldn't take anymore: No, it's so they can swim faster.

Ella: Dad's right, it's so they can swim faster!

Immediately following this little exchange Ella went to her play area and got very quiet, this always spells trouble so I peeped in and asked her what she was doing. She responded "I'm looking for a hat that might make me run faster." Indeed, after some test runs, she says she found one.

I present to you Ella's Fast Running Hat:

These Good Ol' Days

We're going to that good old blue grass festival we go to every year with Grandpa C. (my Dad) It's that one where hippies and blue grass lovers old and new drive from miles around to the tiny white church in the middle of nowwhere and sit on hay bales and 2x8s set up in the yard of the church while banjo pickers and fiddle players from everywhere make there way onto the tiny stage and sing their hearts out. We'll buy as many baked goods as we can fit into our tummies from the church ladies in the basement and then we'll wash our hands in the outdoor sink and maybe get our feet wet in the creek accross the way looking for craw daddys while singers harmonize in the distance, just like I did when I was five. We'll smile at all the other music lovers willing to drive so far to smile at us and we'll enjoy the childrern dancing and squirming all over and singing and being children.

Photos from the festival in 2006

Car Wash

It's raining this morning. But I'll be washing cars anyway. LOL!

Still curly locks

Sorry folks I went roller skating last night and didn't get home until late. The good news is it was the first night I didn't have crazy legs in bed and could get to sleep at a normal hour. I feel so rested and sane today it's silly. So without further ado here's yesterday's hair cut...

If you're wondering about the curls and if they'd come back when she isn't getting her hair blown out glass straight... yes, here's her big ciurls this morning.

Courage Mom

Curly Locks: Mom, everytime I wear my hair long it makes my neck sweat, I hate it.

Me: Do you want a hair cut?

Curly Locks: Yes, I want it cut up to hear. (puts her hands at the back of her head)

Me: Ok, it's your hair.

Pics to follow when we get home

Creepy

There's been a rash of attempted child abductions in our area, 5 to be exact. The first two in separate incidences were some guy in a truck trying to take 5 year old kids off their bikes (suspects in blue truck and green truck), then some guy trying to grab a 9 year old (silver truck) and the last two were trying to snatch 13 year old girls (red truck & dark SUV). This on the heels of an arrest in tiny town. A resident up the street was charged with an attempted abduction of a 14 year old girl after he tried to coax her into his car and upon her refusal grabbed her.

So I've had to have some pretty serious conversations with my daughter about strangers and how some people can be mean. This converstaion involved alot of "why?" and alot of stammering for the right words. In the past I've tried to not oversensationalise and freak her out so much she won't say high to the little old ladies at the ice cream shop but in light of the last month I've just opeted for Stranger Danger with a capital Scary. I'd rather she be traumitized than stolen. The old ladies can have hurt feelings, I don't care.

And what the hell? It's not like I've been just dismmissing attempted abductions in the past, there just haven't been many. 5 in one summer! I wonder if the police have checked out men who work at truck dealerships?

Straight Talk

I'm Cussin' Mad

Shortly after reading Bitch PHD's post "Sunday Sexual Harassment" in which Ms. PHD get’s harangued by some of her readers for telling some ass-hat on the street to “Fuck off” for acting like a pig. I stumbled upon the story "Bicycle Riding Mom Catches Pervert."

"...while carrying her ten-month-old baby on her back. Twenty-three-year-old Danika Bueno was out for a bike ride when a man on a bike rode up to her from behind and grabbed her chest.

Instead of reeling in shock and letting the man get away, Bueno took after him, following him for more than a mile, and called 911. Police were able to apprehend the man and have charged him with unlawful sexual contact and child abuse...."

Why am I blogging about it? because like the responses to Bitch PHD’s post, again the comments blew me away. One fool dismisses the assault of a young mother by comparing it to driving too slow in the left lane. And the next commenter thinks

“…the perv should be arrested…”

but in typical victim blamer fashion follows it up with

“…she must have had on heck of a rack to have enticed the drive by feel.”

Attitudes like these are part of the overall problem and really piss me off. People’s inability to see this incident as a serious assault, as if men shouldn’t be held accountable for their inability to grab breasts when they see them, just underscores extent of which we devalue women.

What’s the single most important thing you can do? Use your vote. We send a clear message about the value of women by supporting a candidate who supports women and women’s issues. I suggest a candidate who sees the value in equal pay legislation or perhaps at the very least one who has more respect for women than to call his wife a "cunt" or speak at an event along side the “Ringin' Wet & Wild" women's wrestling event.

100 Years of Customer Service Music

Trying to Keep a Straight Face

After much quarreling Dan sent Ella downstairs. She wouldn't say she was sorry and he banished her from watching TV in the big bed. I hugged her up into my lap and asked her what she did. She muttered through hurt feelings, "I just wanted to mumble mumble mumble..." I insisted she make amends immediately and I would go with her for moral support. I carried her up the stairs and sat down on the bed next to Dan who was relaxing in his Bermuda shorts with three pillows and his bent arm under his head, his warm reading light turned towards a sci-fi paper back on his chest. Ella shuffled over and said "I'm sorry for hitting you... and trying to poke my finger into your belly button."

Project Runway the Bombadee Edition

I was at the fabric store yesterday looking for plain black swim suit material to sew onto the front of my bikini top (think skirt for my belly) when I stumbled across this man's inspiring fabric and immediately had to think of something to make with it.

I bought this old smock style summer shirt for Ella at the thrift store about two years ago that I love. I'm pretty sure it's from the 70s so I haven't ever seen another one. On Ella and it's the most breathable cool shirt she's ever owned and when it's really hot I try to make sure it's available to wear and so I thought why not duplicate it with this fabric.

















I mean really the pattern didn't look that hard, especially since I made it up (based on the shirt we had.) So, I traced the old shirt onto the fabric and started cutting. I've tried to recreate it the best I can remember for you here.

A couple of hours later, after many fights with the ruffles in wich I told the ruffles to get screwed get out of my house and never come back and they pointedly laughed in my face exclaiming the shirt wouldn't be the same without them and we needed them, I pounded them onto the shirt and... Vwala!

I'll let you know how the swimming suit bikini belly skirt goes.
(I think it'll be fierce!)

Hancock

I went to see Hancock last night and will now declare it the "Best super hero movie of all time ever" totally tying it with Mystery Men. Yes, I can have two totally best super hero movies of all time; it's my list, my blog and my imaginary award to give out. Anyway, I really like the juxtaposition of real life and super heroes; it's a theme that runs through both movies. Hancock introduces a super hero who has very human flaws including a drinking problem; Mystery Men illustrates very flawed humans who find the super in their flaws.

I love that stuff. It means that even when we think we have an idea about Perfection we can still be hip checked by a derby girl with wonderfully big thighs or loose all the poker chips to a person who has OCD and can remember every card dealt or played. It’s these stories that promote the idea that different can be great and redefines perfection by blurring the boundaries we lay as criteria.

Yang Today

Today I have to act like a total grown up by washing dishes, doing laundry and then getting on the phone with no less than one insurance company and two customer service departments. So that's my cosmic balance from yesterday, getting to push one for English and then holding for most of my day and explaining my situation to at least 4 representatives in three departments before anyone even knows shows a glimmer of recognition about my situation. I can safely predict Ella will be yelling "I'm hungry!" or "I'm toOOoooo hot!" or "The dog won't stop breathing next to me!" while simultaneously clinging to my leg and spilling milk on the couch. She will undoubtedly time it perfectly with the moment I get the representative that can make all my problems vanish by pushing that single magic red button, but won't because I've just screamed "Stop it! You're making me crazy!" into her head set.

I did three things today...

Went to the beach with the kiddo and some pals again today. Came home and had a glass of wine while I cooked dinner... WOW! I feel like I drank a six pack. Shoot college kids should run a mile before going out drinking, it would totally improve their buzz (although it would totally improve the hangover too.) Anyway, those are the only things I accomplished today (four things if you count blogging) and that makes it a damn great day. Woo hoo summer time!

F-Stop?

My regular camera is stuck in new battery product recal customer service limbo and I am such a brow beaten consumer that I've temporarily given up and pulled out my camera from three years ago. You know the old tank that takes crap ass pics but never breaks no matter how many times I fling it to the floor or jingle it around in my purse. While I was digging around I found an old old camera that I loved but didn't seem to cooprate anymore, but they just don't make. It takes such clear pics with a hexogonal technology that Fuji abandonded for regular square pixels and I don't know why. After breaking the first, I even bought a second model on E-bay... a rebuilt one that like I said, doesn't like to cooperate.

To use either of these oldies I had to run and get new rechargable batteries, charge them and then try the old cameras out. The tank works like it always did but I forgot the cord is lost and the chip reader in my computer is not working so my pics are stuck there until Dan puts the chip in his computer and transfers them through the network to mine (Pain In The Ass.) So I ventured out into the back yard with the old old Fuji that I love to see if it wanted to play nice and it did. Hopefully it was the addition of the new batteries that caused it to love me back and maybe just maybe this relationship could work out for a while.

The following bumble bee pics were taken with my old Fuji Finepix 4700 Zoom in Northern IL. Aren't they lovely little bees! Go ahead and click on those pics and look at them all up close and personal. The detail this camera shows still just blows me away and makes it by far my favorite digital camera ever.



















These princess knight pics were taken with my old tank the Finepix E510 (after they went back to the square pixels.) They just look like regular old cutie family snap shots to me.



















One of these days I should buy some film and see what my old 35 mm Cannon can still do. I loved that camera too. That was the one that I used back in the day when I used to save up my money and buy filters instead of roller skate wheels. I wonder if anyone still teaches photography classes with "dark room time" anymore. We used to argue over who could get into the darkroom sometimes, back when I used to walk to school uphill both ways and all.

McBush

I keep sending people to this website and to see this video. So here it is thanks Jed Lewison.

Unedited Version?

She asked her to be in the wedding and then offered to inject botulism into her face.

So I ask, if a friend offered you botox would you feel:
a. insulted because she is in fact saying you are wrinkly
b. pity because she doesn't find beauty in wrinkles
c. excitement at the opportunity to erase your wrinkles
d. other (please explain)

I pick B. I am sick sick sick of women torturing their bodies and spending resources on this ridiculousness. I would like to age right out in the open for everyone to see so that my daughter and the world will know what this 35 year old woman looks like. Yes, I'm all for keeping healthy, using a little moisturizer, mascara, and washing the ol' arm pits. Hell, even shaving a leg or two and plucking some brows seems a little high on the pain for beauty scale but explainable, especially in light of the daily shaving (some) men do.

Where are you on the issue?

Indy

I'm booked for geek fest this year. It's in Indianapolis and Dan and I haven't gone in at least 6 years. Yes, we are geeks from way back. I am terribly interested in art that get's 40 year old men interested in collectable card games, my husband is addicted to small paintable lead armies and Ella will no doubt enjoy the many attendies in costume that will be milling about in all their super glory. Ahhh, the joy of having breakfast with storm troopers at the corner cafe or seeing and entourage of barbarians, monsters and pirates wait at the crosswalk in downtown Indy. It's worth it just to see the public's reaction.

Here's the other thing Dan and I have never, in 16 years, vacationed in anyplace other than a city. Nope, no camping, no beach house, no north woods log cabin (no, Grandma's doesn't count), just cities. Perhaps it's because we live a little in the country but mostly I think it's the thread count. I'm excited Indianapolis has a great Children's Museum, a resturaunt that makes food from Istanbul, the fifth largest art museum in the US that includes 152 acres of gardens, and I think they have some auto racing stuff too.

Two for One Coupon

Yesterday went grocery shopping which is usually like this:

"If you don't stop whining, I'm going to send you to wait in the car!"
"Stop wandering away from the cart!"
"We are not buying any pudding in cups we can make pudding at home!"
"We do not need 6 even though they're on sale, just get one!"
"Ok, we can get muffins but then we have to put the cookies back, which one?"
"Marshmallow fluff is not a healthy snack even if you put it on wheat bread!"
"Stop poking your fingers through the plastic on the grapes!"

So this time I left Dan at home and brought Ella and her new picture grocery list instead. She loved it. Not everything we bought was on the list but it was a nice break to have her shopping with me instead of against me and reminding me of items we needed while crossing them off as we went. She even drew a picture of cookies on the list (how could I resist) and then we picked some out and she crossed them off too.

Our local grocer has these tiny carts that essentially are a hand-basket on wheels with a push handle and so the kids get a huge kick out of shopping with these little things. They look like a perfect mini version of the bigger carts. So here was Ella with her list and her pen and her tiny cart walking around muttering "Hmmm, where's the broccoli?" and "Mom, stay close by me so I know where you are!" I was really tempted to throw a bunch of things in her cart just to hear her say "Those aren't on the list!" or I could've said "Ella! Ella! Ella! Can I have some ---fill in whatever we are walking by that is bright and shiny here---?!" while simultaneously pulling on her arm until she threatened to make me ride in her cart, but instead I just followed along with my bigger cart and threw all the junk food into it.

Love Her!

I just saw this over at Feministing and HAD to repost it!

An almost perfect weekend (I'm dumb)

Holy canolies dear Internets! Last week I compiled the entire 2007-2008 roller derby season and with the help of my skatey mate L'iterate Her we watched and edited it all and produced a small 17 minute video for the awards banquet on Saturday night at which time I celebrated so boisterously I threw up on Sunday morning... (yeah, pretty pitiful. I think I'm done drinking for a looong time.) In the coming weeks, my goal is to shorten that video even further so I can get it onto youtube and share with everyone. (Don't worry, the stuff I'm going to cut out is the boring stuff that only the ladies on the team are interested in. I'll leave all the hard hits and cool plays an crazy pics.)

So then after horking my brains out on Sunday, we took the family to the Renaissance Festival. It was humid and hot and I was hung over, but only slightly thanks to my early morning porcelain shenanigans. We met up with two other families and luckily my dear pal KTJ and a new pal A. took Ella on the ride she loved the most with the other kids (I was not hopping onto the big swingy thing that makes your tummy feel weird) Thank you both so much for that ladies. The festival was actually pretty cool (literally) it's mostly under tree cover and in the shade it was only maybe 78* or so. It seemed like they had more rides and different things this year and we of course enjoyed it along with the company very much.

My camera isn't working, I think it's the battery, so I am without any photos to show you.

hot

Hey folks went to the beach today because is hot. Too hot to blog.

so check this cool stuff out!

The Sunny Side of Life

I ranted about McCain and I ranted about the county considering concealed carry against the wishes of the state and I ranted about the patriarchy and then I totally ran out of steam and needed to hear some good news and couldn't find any out there on the internet. I needed a little hope and thought maybe I should listen to an Obama speech but instead I grabbed up my family and went to my Grandparent's cabin for the weekend and had a perfectly lovely time.

Friday

I sat down and wrote three different political rants this morning and can't seem to get it together enough to actually hit post. So instead I present to you this photgraph. It has no point.

Leinenkugel's - Now with more manly!

Waitress: I'm sorry I think we're out of Miller Highlife

Dan: You should try that Leinenkugel's Summer Beer, that's what I'm getting.

Me: Ok, I'll take one of those.

...

Me: Mmmm, I like it. It's fruity.

Dan: It is not fruity. It's citrussy.

Me: Isn't that the same thing?

Dan: No, one is definitely manlier.

I spilled some on the couch... because my cup is running over.

Ella and I were supposed to leave in the morning but didn't get out the door until 2:30... because we slept in and watched a movie after we had pancakes on the couch in our jammies.

When we arrived at the mall we were only able to play at the play area for a half an hour... because we had serious shoe shopping to do.

After four shoe stores that didn't carry tennis shoes in Ella's size we needed to hit a fifth and sixth store outside of the mall and it was soo exhausting I stopped at Panera to get a mocha and Ella whined and begged until I got her some... broccoli soup.

When we finally found a pair of tennis shoes for her we couldn't decide wich ones and argued about it... until I realized both pair together were under budget and we stopped arguing and bought both.

We missed that "buy one get one half off sale," it ended yesterday so... I only bought one pair of shoes for myself.

By the time we arrived home and got settled in the season finale of "Hell's Kitchen" already started and... we had to watch it through the DVR and missed all the commercials.

It totally rained hard, blowing into all the windows in our house and... cooled the house down by about 15°.

Once Upon a Storm

Went to see Kung Foo Panda last night and really enjoyed it. Ella was doing "just-saw-it-on-the-screen-style karate" the whole way to the car. That's the kind that involves a lot of flapping ankles and "Hi-YA!" yelling. My brothers and I trained in that same style on Sunday mornings with Master Bruce Lee back in the late 70s.

While we were in the theatre it rained hard and the wind blew power lines down in a way that the police said we had to take a different country drive home. On this different country drive with the lightning strikes on the horizon I saw the most concentrated five acres of lightning bugs I've ever seen in my life. The winter wheat looked like the storm was dropping bits of green lightning bolt glitter across the field. This was quickly followed by a tiny frog army launching an epic assault on our car. I scrambled for my camera and alas have nothing to show you, it was too dark. It's one of those cruel realities; magic can only be seen with the naked eye and hardly ever recorded. Ask anyone who's seen a fairy.

Barometric Pressure

We don't have air conditioning and so far this year it hasn't bothered me much but we are nearing the days that will smother us with humidity and I will begin to think wearing a tube top might be a good idea and of course who needs a bra under a tube top because not only is a bra too hot, itchy and constricting but the tube top has lots of stretchy and should hold "the girls" in place just fine. Then of course later in the day perhaps while regaining my sanity at the air conditioned grocery store, I'll remember that "the girls," like me, are also 35 and wrapping a tube top around us is insane because we are playing the "is it a tube top or cumberbund game" most of the day while I yank, rearrange and restuff when I think no one is looking. But I won't be the only insane person when the weather gets there, there will also be that guy grilling with his shirt off, the chick on the back of a motorcycle in flip flops, and joggers. I just need to remember really, anything I wear is going to feel too hot, itchy and constricting because existing without air conditioning the world IS hot, itchy and constricting.

Dancing in the Street

I took Ella to a street dance last night. We listened to a band called the Crunchy Frogs who I like. They play lots of rock music from the good ol' days, the kind everyone knows all the words to and isn't Foot Loose and you don't mind your kid singing the chorus. Ella danced like crazy which I am happy to say in a sea of six year olds shakin' their groove thing doing Beyoncé moves my kid still runs in place and wags her arms around like a Goldie Hawn dancing on Laugh In occasionally throwing in a hop or two for accent. This of course is the same dance that made me fall in love with my husband fifteen years ago so I'm pretty sure rhythm is genetic.

in short

I'm slightly sunburnt, eaten blueberry pancakes and grilled burgers (not at the same meal though), went swimming, had candy thrown at me, saw a parade and am ready for some fireworks in about an hour. Woohoo! Happy Birthday America!

The Zoo

Checking out the painted turtles










Dad tells Ella about the Lioness














Buddies checking out the prairie dogs














Mom! Take a picture of my tongue it's red from my Popsicle!














Hey Ella, would you like to hold a hissing cockroach?

Sink Load of Dishes

This weekend kicked my ass. We lost on Saturday night and I took a hit to the face and have a giant chin bruise and what I thought was a broken finger (today I am able to move it more and the swelling has gone down, so I think it's just crunched really good - my finger that is not my face.) Yes, this is still totally a lot of fun for me and I really liked the North Star ladies, they're a stand up bunch. On the back of that, yesterday our family and our good friends the Fox Family went to the Madison zoo and walked about 5,000 miles. Pictures of both on the way - I promise.

Today, I just want to lay in a nice hot tub and then perhaps lay on the couch for a bit and then later I'll go lay in the lawn furniture while Ella swings and later yet I'll be laying in bed... but instead I've really gotta get the house back into shape. Inevitably the week before a roller derby bout, the first thing to drop off the list is house cleaning and general maintenance - ug.

Last Bout of the 2007-2008 Season

A Long Way to Go

Bakers Blog writes "I remember seeing an episode of Ally McBeal where her therapist suggests that she give herself a theme song. She was to play that song in her head when she felt down or her self-confidence dipped (I think Ally's was "Tell Him" by The Exciters). Your theme song should be a song that gives you a lift as you walk down the street, a song that makes you feel happy, confident and in control."

My skatey matey DD Hunter posted this about her theme song and asked what mine was and it's a funny thing... It used to be Brick House when I needed a lift or a little strut in my step that's what I would hear in my head but these days I don't hear Brick House anymore. It turns out I rarely need to get the courage together in my head to do daring things, mostly before I do something crazy I need to calm my excitement and collect my thoughts and focus, what song do I hear in my head when I need to get all zen-like?

Ode to Joy, it helps me to revel in the accomplishments of humankind and centers me in a way I can't explain. But that's not all, when I'm skating out onto the derby rink I hear Sabotage, when I'm hanging out with Ella jackin' around I hear Groove is in the Heart, with Dan on date night I hear Them There Eyes, when I am riding in the car with my family almost anything by Orba Squara. So it just totally depends on what I'm doing.

Incidentaly I was gonna throw some pictures behind an Orba Squara track and make a quick video for you all to hear them and I ended up finding pictures spanning all the way from 2002(when I got my first digital camera) to last week and due to the sheer number of these pictures, I realized just how much I really love riding in the car with my family...



So what's your theme song?

Discovery!

I found a new blog I am totally in love with. Not only is the name Stroller Derby the coolest ever, the content is thought provoking, sometimes funny and addictive. I find myself reading every single article they publish - sheesh! Its part of a bigger online magazine type website called Babble that I am checking out today and also enjoying.

I just finished reading a beautiful essay called "The Overparenting Crisis" by Katie Allison Granju who's attachment parenting style I subscribe to, and it's funny 'cause this helicopter parenting is something Dan and I discuss quite a bit (as in trying not to become one). As protective as we are of our kiddo, I do try to let her eat dirt and lick other kid's toys, and that's not completely because I'm too lazy to wipe down the grocery cart before I put her in it, it's because I know about immunities. I let her play far away from me and when she falls off the monkey bars I leave her alone until she finds me and I let her take care of her own bullies on the playground. Does it take all the strength in my body to not run over there and scoop her up? Absolutely, but it's better for she and me in the long run if I wait for her reaction first. Katie also makes the very important point

"When parents micromanage children's lives, overly investing themselves in their kids, everyone loses. Mothers and fathers lose themselves in their roles as parents, while kids never find themselves."

This is another argument for you all too immediately go out and join your local roller derby/ballet/theatre/soup kitchen/bowling/dart/kickball league to save you and your family's sanity. Anyway, I think the article summed up my feelings perfectly. And it's always nice to find a little confirmation from peers.

Flipping & Flopping in the Air Conditioning

Dan’s Mom isn’t well, she made a pit stop in the hospital last week and will be home again tomorrow, thank God. We visited her with Ella yesterday for a bit and when we were leaving Ella commented on the little paper dealios hanging from the ceiling in the hallway and how they are “summer cutouts for the patient's enjoyment” as I inwardly gloated for her being able to put that phrase together when I had just called them “paper beach dealios” I had to stop and ask Dan about THIS summer cutout....see below... We enjoyed looking at several of them on our way to the elevator. In fact, I'm still enjoying them.

Our Soldier

One of our very closest friends in the world is leaving for Afghanistan with the Army and we gathered up last night to send him off together over dinner and drinks. He and Dan were in boy scouts together and grew up skateboarding on the same streets. He's the guy who accompanied Dan and me on our first date (the ice cream shop next to the college.) He's the guy who lived at our house briefly between college and his marriage and dutifully stayed out of all the newlywed fights Dan and I had (thank you for not choosing sides.) He picked me up after I crashed the car and brought me to the hospital (Dan had the flu and couldn't come to get me.) This great guy is now our neighbor as well as the husband of a very wonderful lady whom I adore and father to an incredible four year old girl who plays with Ella. He's been a fixture in our lives, and when I went to find a picture of him on my hard drive I found too many to choose just one. He and his family are at every party, every birthday, every wedding, and every baby shower; they are living their lives right here beside us. And now he will be defending us and I respect him for that more than I can say, because I know his family and I know what he is sacrificing. Be safe Friend.

Going Away Party in Rockford, IL 06.20.08

Birthday

It's Dan's birthday today and so I am cleaning house and getting everything ready for tonight. We are leaving Ella at Grandma's until tomorrow and hitting a cocktail party early before we meet up with some of our best friends at a going away dinner party at our favorite restaurant later, so we'll be dressed to the nines... ok we'll not quite that dressed, but maybe dressed to the sevens. It'll be a little bitterswet as the going away party is for a close frined leaving for Afghanistan, but we are looking forward to the evening just the same.

And since I know no better place than to talk to the universe than here; I just want to say thank you for bringing this wonderful man to me. I hope his birthday will be exactly what he needs today and I hope his next year brings forth fruit from every seed he’s sewn, may his hard work pay off and his success reach new heights as his garden flourishes.

Later I'll be Hugging Trees too

Every time I hear Obama speak I am moved to tears, I think it's a combination of his message and the momentous circumstances.

I think I want to order this movie because let’s face it no one around here is going to screen it, but I also think it’ll piss me off quite a great deal www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com

The other day when I was at the store and I told the lady behind the counter I didn’t need a bag for my one item and gave her the plastic bag back so that I could save the environment and then she threw it in the garbage, I wanted to poke her square in the chest and ask her if she was paying attention at all.

June 28th

The last roller derby bout of the season is just a week and a half away. Then we have a little vacation from roller skates for a few weeks and I'm stressing it. The few times I've missed practice I get crabby and I don't know what I'll do if I can't get my skate on twice a week. I think I'll be searching out all the open skates and my skatey matey the Warrior #217 is planning to get up to Sweetwater in July. I think I'm gonna try and check that out with her. So anyway, if you want to come and see the LAST BOUT OF THE SEASON click www.StatelineDivas.com and buy some tix! Since it's the last hooorah it's gonna be wild!

Yeah Yeah! Yeah!

The play list at casa de Bombadee these days has been dictated by our littleist resident. She isnists on songs that have "Rockin' guitars" and lots of "yeah! yeah yeah!"s in them. Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" has been huge and I'm thinking it's time to dig out some Rolling Stones perhaps a little "You Can't Always Get What you Want" will resonate with her anguished four year old soul. you see it is soo unfair that she cannot for instance go up to the corner store and buy ice cream on her own or watch TV nonstop all day.

Well, I'll Be a Monkey's Grandma

Dan doesn’t really want to sleep with marsupials but Ella says she’s Monkey-monkey’s Mom and she hates sleeping next to him, his arms get all underneath her, but she doesn’t want him to sleep alone because he would be sad. Since Dan is Monkey-monkey’s Grandpa, the next logical step of course is to insist Dan keep Monkey-monkey comfortable and warm by snuggling with his little striped body. Dan tries to sneak Monkey-monkey down to floor on his side of the bed but since Dan suffers from pretend narcolepsy and the four year old out lasts him on a regular basis (plus we totally sleep in every day) she picks the stuffed monkey up and neatly tucks him back into bed next to Dan.
This reminds me about the Brass Monkey video challenge that I wanted to complete before Father’s Day that I totally thought about 4 times and then promptly blew off. I’m postponing it until the end of the summer, I just don’t have enough footage of monkey dancing to put anything together yet and since I proposed the challenge I can unpropose it too - so there.

Erin Jackson on Naked Pole Swinging

Erin Jackson cracked me up last night on Last Comic Standing. Go ahead and click it! There's more Erin here. Also I totally stole this video from her blog. I heart her.

Technology

Last night during the terrible storms:

Me: Honey come down stairs and look at the weather!

Honey: I can see it on my laptop!

Me: No, I mean look at these clouds!

Honey: I am! I’m watching the Doppler radar right now!

Me: No, I mean come down and look out the window and see this cloud over our house that is rotating clockwise!

Despite my dramatic exchange there were no tornadoes in tiny town yesterday. The rotating grey cloud moved on its way, very possibly by me going outside and looking at it hard enough that it decided the surprise was ruined, but I did stay up until at least 1AM listening for train sounds ready to wake everyone up and make a dash for the basement. My Dad said there were tornadoes last night in the next county over. So I wasn’t being a total ninny.

Preserved for Posterity (or for laughing at when she's 35)

We had date night last night and let me say that dinner and a movie once a week is incredible thank you Grandma and Grandpa for saving our sanity and saying simply "she sure is full of energy" on nights I know she wore you out because I saw that you made a pot of coffee at 7pm. Ella was so wide awake last night when we picked her up we had a long conversation on the way home about her future. This is what she said.

She'll be marrying Victor from the Secret Show and they will be having ten children together, nine girls and one boy. Ella will name her nine daughters Jordan, Annie, Emma, Jenny, Molly, Polly, Jackson, Phinnias Ferb, Angel, & Felicia. She will name her son Alex. They will eat fruit whenever they want and Victor will be their father. She also informed us "Whenever our children want to go t the toy store we will take them." She also promised to never throw away toys that are left out she will just put them away for her children. In the summer they will take the children to the beach every day and in the winter they will go sledding and if she is tired Victor will let her sleep and he will bundle the children up warm as toast and take them sledding. Ella will be wearing "fancy schmancy jewelry" and always tell the children "yes" even when they want to try on her jewels. You should also know that Ella and Victor have the same birthday and for their next party in which they will both turn five they will have a pull string piñata, play pin the tail on the donkey, wear party hats and watch movies.

First trip of the summer

Yesterday Ella and I went to the beach with some good friends. We splashed in spring fed water until our lips turned blue (well, not so much me, mostly the kids) and we built an incredible sand castle and ate corn dogs and I got a very funny looking sunburn as I only managed to get sunscreen on chunks of my back and so I have sort of a patchwork of pink going on from 45 minutes of unprotected beach going. Yikes.

Air Show